The invention relates to an apparatus for making mixtures of pharmaceutical liquids from at least two mixture components which are contained in supply vessels, wherein the container to be filled is received in an apparatus comprising a vacuum chamber and is connecting via a tube and a tube connector to the connection tubes of the supply vessels.
The invention further relates to an apparatus for making mixtures of pharmaceutical liquids comprising at least two supply vessels containing the individual mixture components, a connection tube for each supply vessel which open into a tube connector which connects the connection tubes via a further tube to one of the containers to be filled, a vacuum chamber which contains the container and is connected to a vacuum pump, a shut-off means, preferably in the form of a clamp, for each of the connection tubes and at least one means for detecting the presence of air.
A method of the aforementioned type is known for example from DE-PS 3,315,031. In this known method the mixture is made in an apparatus comprising a vacuum chamber for receiving the container to be filled which is connected to the individual supply vessels containing the mixture components. Each supply vessel is connected via a connecting tube by means of a tube connector to a tube connected to the container.
To determine when the desired predetermined amount of each mixture component has been reached, in the method according to the prior art either the air entry into the individual connection tubes or the respective weight of the container is determined and therefore the respective connecting tubes are clamped off.
A disadvantage here however is that, in the method according to the prior art and thus in the apparatus according to the prior art as well, the apparatus expenditure necessary is high because in the one case for each connecting tube an air-detecting means must be provided and in the other case a weighing means must be disposed in the vacuum chamber on which the container is suspended in a freely movable manner so that the respective weight determinations can be made.
Further mixing apparatuses and devices for them are known for example from U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,722,557 and 3,749,285, the PCT publication 84/138 or European patent 38,339.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,722,557 only describes a vacuum mixing chamber without going into detail regarding the nature of the mixing method.
The mixing apparatus described in European patent 38,339 proceeds from the aforementioned vacuum mixing chamber and merely additionally employs a sterile filter, no further details on the mixing method itself being given.
The mixing apparatus described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,749,285 merely explains the mixing of several liquids, the mixing operation itself being controlled by weight.
Finally, PCT publication 84/138 likewise describes a weight-controlled mixing apparatus in which a peristaltic pump is associated with each bag containing a medical liquid and is activated corresponding to a predetermined program in accordance with the amount to be mixed.